Favorite chappie so far! X3

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. (Oh m&m gee, no way! O.O)

Please, Not Now

My eyes bored into the ground because I had nothing else to glare at. The metal chains around my wrists rattled and clanked. I was in a cage, like a rabid Pokemon. It was plenty big, but to be treated like I wasn't human… It made me sick to the core. No light poured into the room. There was no sound but me shifting around in my cage and my slow breathing.

No one would help me here. I was isolated.

Memories seemed to taunt me as everyone I loved poured into my mind. Being with Crystal, actually thinking she was my mother. I scoffed at how stupid a kit could be. And my sisters, they weren't much of sisters to me, but just the bond of having them with me was enough to believe the lie that was forced on me. I leaned on the back of the overlapping bars. I laughed at the thought of Drew and May trying to figure out where I was when I didn't meet back up with them. May was injured though, so Drew must have taken her to the hospital.

What about Crystal? She couldn't possibly fight off Savannah and Kuro by herself. I jerked upward, hitting my head on the top of the cage with a bang! "Damn… bars…" I cursed. She could be dead for all I know.

I cringed and held the top of my head as if it were bleeding. I froze, hearing the sliding of a metal door. A tall, shaggy haired man in a lab coat made me put on a look of hatred. Now I had something living to glare at. He stopped in front of me and smiled, reminding me that Savannah did the same thing before knocking me unconscious. "You're probably very confused, but I've come to assure you that you are safe besides the occasional shot," he explained, almost joyfully. "There is no need to worry, your life will be over soon and then there will be nothing more to worry about."

I scooted farther back in my cage. Something about this person made me want to keep my mouth shut. He was so calm and cold at the same time; I wasn't sure if I disgusted or feared him so much to be forced as far back as I could go. My chained wrists kept me in the center of my cage. I attempted kicking what kept the shackles connected to the cage, but they, or course, wouldn't budge. I stared up at the man, heart racing. "Just hold still," he said with sincerity in his voice. "This won't hurt a bit."

I struggled and squirmed and writhed desperately away. It's as if someone sprayed a toxin that caused fear to flow though my veins. He opened the cage by entering a few numbers in the electric lock with a beep. My breathing speed up so much it felt like my lungs were gonna pop.

He walked in and gave me a warm grin. "It's perfectly fine; we're only taking a blood sample." My eyes widened in anger.

"NEVER!" I rushed at him and slammed my foot to his gut with all I had. The aftereffect was that my chains jerked me back, making my head slam the bottom of the cage. I didn't see him, but I could hear static, like a wire was broken or something. That's when I realized it was a robot, not a real human being.

I tensed. Good, that means I won't have to go easy on them.

I refused eat and forced myself to stay awake, the fear of them coming to take a DNA sample lingering in my mind. And when Kuro surprisingly came in to check on me, I glared at him with all the hate I could muster. "I will die if it means destroying Team Rocket's plans." That's when I asked myself the question that Kuro surprisingly wouldn't.

"What good would that do?" That'd just make it easier for them to take a quick dose of blood or a strand of hair, making plenty of other copies.

Then they'd toss me out as if I'd never even existed.

So, I focused on staying just barely alive. I heard you could die from not sleeping for however many days, so I only dosed off a few times a day. If only there was someone on this cell with me, I thought. Then we could take turns keeping watch… I suddenly wished that Savannah was here. What had happened to her? The thoughts poured into my mind like water into a glass. They had to release her; they wouldn't kill her for no reason, would they?

If there is one thing I've been learning from being around Team Rocket, it's that they don't need a motive to do what they want. And that's just damn sick.

Another robot scientist (or Sci-bots, as I call them) entered the room to give me my daily food. I was prepared to snap at him if he tried taking a sample.

"Relax, hybrid." I did exactly the opposite and tensed, that's my logic from now on. He kicked it into my cage. Well that's a new one.

I stared at it in disgust: More meat. I might as well become a vegetarian!

"Just to let you know," the Sci-bot said, "A prisoner will be joining you tomorrow."

I stopped. Maybe it was Crystal. Or Faith or Grace, if they'd been captured. I hoped not, and ate my food willingly. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and found myself dreaming.

Spirit.

I was in the dark void again. "Huh? Who's there?" I questioned.

Spirit? Are you alright? Don't you remember me? The voice called.

"Dawn?" I said, embarrassed that I didn't know it was her, "I guess I haven't heard your voice in a while."

My communication with you is weak. Since humans cannot understand Pokemon speech, I have to use telepathy even harder. I glanced around, not seeing a purple figure anywhere.

"Is Crystal all right?" I asked anxiously. There was a long pause.

"She's okay, isn't she?" I pried. I head a soft whimper. "Spirit, I can't tell if she's alive or dead at this moment."

"What?" I said in shock. "But you're a psychic type; it wasn't that hard for you before!"

"Well something's interfering with my communication with her!!" she snapped. "I'm only one Pokemon! I can't do everything!" I imagined her glowering at me. "In case you forgot, I'm dead." She spat the word with revulsion.

I looked down. "What do you think the interference is?"

"I don't know, it's either some other force or… she's dead."

I shook my head. "It's probably just some…" I tried to think of what it could be but nothing came to mind.

"Hopefully—" She stopped abruptly. "Spirit, wake up."

I became puzzled. "Huh? What? What's wrong?"

"You have to wake up NOW."

I felt her sudden yell make me come to. I glanced around my dark cage. There was nothing here. My ears caught someone coming though. A few seconds later I heard the door open. From what I could tell, a Sci-bot was practically dragging someone towards my cage. Great, a room mate, I thought, almost sarcastically.

The Sci-bot shoved the human into my cage, chained the person to the middle of the cage, and quickly shut the door, as if I'd try to escape. I narrowed my eyes at my new cellmate. "So what'd you do to get in here?" I growled. Hey, I didn't plan to make the best of things.

The girl's sunset colored eyes stared at me though the darkness. I stared at her for a second. My eyes stretched wide. "Savannah?" I abruptly went to the other side of the cage defensively. "What are you doing here?" I hissed.

She glanced away. "They declared me a failure," she said, downcast. "So back off!" she suddenly retorted. I still didn't let my guard down even though she seemed more herself.

"How could they possibly proclaim you a failure?" I scoffed. "I still have bruises from you knocking me out."

She turned her head. "I'm sorry, okay? I wasn't me, they did something. I don't know what but it made me confused and just plain happy. I didn't know who I was fighting, alright?"

"Guess they did the same thing on purpose to the Scientist-bots," I muttered.

"Apparently," she replied.

I yawned, wanting to sleep some more after my dream. She rubbed her left eye. "You rest; I'll stay up and watch."

I saw her rub her eyes, she looked sleepy too. Well she probably hasn't had to stay up for the past week or two, I thought irritably.

I closed my eyes, trying to find the most comfortable spot on the cage's hard floor. I didn't dream, good. That seemed to make me even more stressed. I don't know how long I slept, but it felt like a long time. Good, I needed the extra energy. When I woke up I felt really refreshed.

I was about to stretched until I realized I couldn't move. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes. It felt like something was on my… shoulder maybe? I found myself leaning against the bars with my head on something. A few seconds later I realized it was Savannah leaning against me. I flushed, wanting to shout at her, "You're supposed to be keeping watch!" But I held my tongue. Maybe I slept longer than I thought and she just hit her limit.

I pushed back the thought. This is really uncomfortable and I feel like getting up. The bars are riding up against my back. I glanced at her sleeping body and sighed. I put my head back on hers and stayed awake and watched. Sure enough, someone came in but only for a brief a second. Maybe they're just checking if I'm—we're still here.

Apparently they accidentally left the door open a crack cause I heard one Sci-bot talking to another.

"Everything is going according to plan." I glanced at the door. What plan?

"Will we be able to remove her by tomorrow? Giovanni is getting impatient." I glared at the mention of his name.

"So long as she gets any kind of DNA sample, we will be able to remove her, then be rid of them both."

I stared at the door in horror. Tomorrow? I somehow got up without waking Savannah, setting her gingerly on the cage's floor. I sat beside her and watched her sleep. No one came in. "Spirit?" I heard Savannah mumble. Her eyes opened just barely.

"It's okay," I said quietly, "Go back to sleep."

She didn't argue and her amber eyes disappeared as she fell back asleep. I stroked her hair out of her face then quickly pulled my hand away. I mentally hit myself in the head. How can I fall in love at a time like this?